Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea was seen reuniting with his former teammates, including captain Bruno Fernandes, at a popular brasserie in Greater Manchester earlier this week.
De Gea, who left the club after twelve seasons this summer, was pictured with Fernandes as well as Raphael Varane, Tom Heaton and Victor Lindelöf inside the Juniper cafe in Hale, Trafford, on Monday (October 23).
Posting a photo of the five on Instagram, Bruno wrote: “[cake] and friends it’s always a good choice.” De Gea also shared the photo on his Instagram story, simply captioning it “brothers”.
READ MORE: David De Gea reunites with former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes with two-word message
Juniper, which also has sites in Wilmslow and Bramhall, posted in response: “Hope you all enjoyed your visit to Juniper. Great to see you with De Gea.” The artisan brasserie sells a range of breakfasts, brunches, lunches and baked goods, and it is believed to be a firm favourite within the United squad.
Fans shared their delight at seeing the United teammates reunited, with one simply posting: “Legends”. Vissel Kobe footballer Juan Mata even replied, saying: "I only see good people in that table.”
Former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper De Gea was replaced in the summer with Andre Onana, who played under him at Ajax previously. De Gea is yet to settle on his next team having been tentatively linked with a move back to the Spanish capital with Real Madrid.
But the photo also lead to speculation from fans with some hoping it would result in David joining United again. “Did you bring a contract with you?,” one asked. Another said: “Get this man back into the team….he is the missing puzzle right now.” Another wrote: “This Guy should Just return to Old Trafford.”
Other eagle-eyed fans couldn’t help but notice a different detail in the photo - a slightly-slanted picture frame - and they didn’t let it go unnoticed. One person wrote: “Could you give that painting a little nudge up on the left please.” Another said: “The painting’s crooked! More importantly, I hope you persuaded David to re-sign for Utd!”
Thankfully, all is well in terms of the picture frame. Posting on Facebook, Juniper wrote: “Great to have these guys with us today. Was a lovely surprise to see De Gea. Also, we’ve straightened up that frame too.”
